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The experiences of the infantry of the 12th South African Motorised Brigade in the Italian Campaign of the Second World War
Thesis (MMil)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2022
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| _version_ | 1867613764234248192 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Punt, Carl Heinrich |
| author2 | Van der Waag, I. J. |
| author_browse | Punt, Carl Heinrich Van der Waag, I. J. |
| author_facet | Van der Waag, I. J. Punt, Carl Heinrich |
| author_sort | Punt, Carl Heinrich |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MMil)--Stellenbosch University, 2022. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/125113 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:41:19.685Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publishDateRange | 2022 |
| publishDateSort | 2022 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/125113 The experiences of the infantry of the 12th South African Motorised Brigade in the Italian Campaign of the Second World War Punt, Carl Heinrich Van der Waag, I. J. Kleynhans, E. P. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Military Sciences. School for Security and Africa Studies. Dept. of Military History. Military history World War, 1939-1945 South Africa. Union Defence Force World War, 1939-1945 -- Italy World War, 1939-1945 -- France 12th Motorised Brigade (South Africa) 6 South African Armoured Division Thesis (MMil)--Stellenbosch University, 2022. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis analyses and narrates the experiences of the South Africans that served as motorised infantry during the Italian Campaign of the Second World War. Using the historical method, secondary sources provided a foundation for the analysis of archival evidence, memoirs, letters, and diaries. The aim of the research was to examine and gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of the men – and they were all men – that served with the 12th South African Motorised Brigade (12th SA Mot Bde) in the Italian Campaign. A ‘bottom-up’ approach is used to provide a so-called ‘grass-roots perspective’. This is therefore primarily a social history. The examination starts with the politico-strategic situation in South Africa at the start of the war: of the political turmoil in South African politics, the decision to enter the conflict, the campaigns of the Second World War in which South Africans fought, and the deployment of the 6th South African Armoured Division (6th SA Div) to Italy in early 1944 –as part of the invading Allied forces. With this background, the 12th SA Mot Bde of the6th SA Div comes into focus. Four focused, thematic chapters follow: on the preparation of the Brigade; on the conduct and experience of battle; on discipline, morale, and misconduct in the Brigade; and on boredom and the rollout of leisure-utilisation programmes. South Africa had to mobilise a volunteer army from scratch. This was no easy task. Volunteers were called for and a government information programme – to counter the anti-war propaganda of the parliamentary and non-parliamentary opposition – was launched with emotive appeals to motivate men and women to enlist. Notwithstanding, manpower shortages were experienced throughout the war. The operational deployments to East Africa, Madagascar, and North Africa – the Union Defence Force’s (UDF’s) first campaigns – brought valuable experience. Yet, as this study argues, this experience and the training the infantry of the 6th SA Div received, proved inadequate for the conditions they would face in Italy. This was a campaign of quite a different kind. This ‘experience of battle’ is the leitmotif and opens the discussion on fighting in mountainous terrain and adverse weather, on the methods and tactics used by the enemy, facing enemy armour, and the experience of being bombed, of becoming a casualty, and of the social aspects relating to the non-combative experience of the campaign – such as drinking and sexual behaviour, and the experience of war trauma. As the South African military authorities discovered, the Italian Campaign presented the South African soldier with a unique combat experience and the UDF with its greatest challenges. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis ontleed en vertel die ervarings van die Suid-Afrikaners wat as gemotoriseerde infanterie gedien het tydens die Italiaanse veldtog van die Tweede Wêreldoorlog. Met behulp van die historiese metode het sekondêre bronne 'n grondslag gelê vir die ontleding van argiefbewyse, memoires, briewe en dagboeke. Die doel van die navorsing was om die ervarings van die mans – en hulle was almal mans – wat saam met die 12de Suid-Afrikaanse Gemotoriseerde Brigade (12de SA Mot Bde) in die Italiaanse Veldtog gedien het, te ondersoek en 'n dieper begrip te kry. 'n Van ‘onder na bo’ benadering word gebruik om 'n sogenaamde ‘voetsool-perspektief’ te bied. Dit is dus hoofsaaklik 'n sosiale geskiedenis. Die ondersoek begin met die politiek-strategiese situasie in Suid-Afrika aan die begin van die oorlog: van die politieke onrus in die Suid-Afrikaanse politiek, die besluit om die konflik te betree, die veldtogte van die Tweede Wêreldoorlog waarin Suid-Afrikaners geveg het, en die ontplooiing van die 6de Suid-Afrikaanse Pantserdivisie (6de SA Div) vroeg in 1944 na Italië – as deel van die invallende Geallieerde magte. Met hierdie agtergrond kom die 12de SA Mot Bde van die 6de SA Div in fokus. Vier gefokusde, tematiese hoofstukke volg: oor die voorbereiding van die Brigade; oor die uitvoering en ervaring van die geveg; oor dissipline, moraal en wangedrag in die Brigade; en oor verveeldheid en die uitrol van ontspanningsprogramme. Suid-Afrika moes 'n vrywillige weermag van nuuts af mobiliseer. Dit was nie ‘n maklike taak nie. Vrywilligers is ontbied en 'n inligtingsprogram is deur die regering geloots om die teenoorlogse propaganda van die parlementêre en nie-parlementêre opposisie teen te werk. Hierdie program het emosionele beroepe op mans en vroue gedoen om hul te motiveer om aan te sluit. Daar is nietemin gedurende die oorlog 'n tekort aan mannekrag ondervind. Die operasionele ontplooiings na Oos-Afrika, Madagaskar en Noord-Afrika – die eerste veldtogte van die UDF – het waardevolle ervaring gebring. Soos hierdie studie beweer, het hierdie ervaring en die opleiding wat die infanterie van die 6de SA Div gekry het, egter onvoldoende geblyk vir die toestande wat hulle in Italië sou ondervind. Dit was 'n veldtog van 'n heel ander soort. Hierdie ‘gevegservaring’ is die hoofmotief en open die bespreking van gevegte in bergagtige terreine en ongunstige weer, oor die metodes en taktieke wat die vyand gebruik het, vyandelike wapenrusting, en die ervaring van bombardering, om 'n slagoffer te word en van die sosiale aspekte rakende die nie-gevegservaring van die veldtog-soos drankgebruik en seksuele gedrag en die ervaring van oorlogstrauma. Soos die Suid-Afrikaanse militêre owerhede ontdek het, het die Italiaanse veldtog die Suid -Afrikaanse soldaat 'n unieke gevegservaring gebied en het ook die UDF met sy grootste uitdagings gebied. Masters 2022-03-04T10:52:04Z 2022-04-29T12:54:32Z 2022-03-04T10:52:04Z 2022-03 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/125113 en Stellenbosch University xvi, 364 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Military history World War, 1939-1945 South Africa. Union Defence Force World War, 1939-1945 -- Italy World War, 1939-1945 -- France 12th Motorised Brigade (South Africa) 6 South African Armoured Division Punt, Carl Heinrich The experiences of the infantry of the 12th South African Motorised Brigade in the Italian Campaign of the Second World War |
| title | The experiences of the infantry of the 12th South African Motorised Brigade in the Italian Campaign of the Second World War |
| title_full | The experiences of the infantry of the 12th South African Motorised Brigade in the Italian Campaign of the Second World War |
| title_fullStr | The experiences of the infantry of the 12th South African Motorised Brigade in the Italian Campaign of the Second World War |
| title_full_unstemmed | The experiences of the infantry of the 12th South African Motorised Brigade in the Italian Campaign of the Second World War |
| title_short | The experiences of the infantry of the 12th South African Motorised Brigade in the Italian Campaign of the Second World War |
| title_sort | experiences of the infantry of the 12th south african motorised brigade in the italian campaign of the second world war |
| topic | Military history World War, 1939-1945 South Africa. Union Defence Force World War, 1939-1945 -- Italy World War, 1939-1945 -- France 12th Motorised Brigade (South Africa) 6 South African Armoured Division |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/125113 |
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